Antique Victorian Parlor Table Makeover

Victorian antique parlor table makeover with damaged wood grain. Save ugly wood grain with a two-tone stain on your next painted furniture project 

Victorian Style Antique Parlor Table Makeover

This antique parlor table was brought to me by my customer, Wayne, with a tremendous story and family history.  It originally belonged to his great-grandparents who were married in 1893 in Missouri and then traveled by covered wagon to Indiana, where his great-grandfather (shown in the photo below) was the justice of the peace as well as the town Marshall. The family bible, also shown in the photos below, along with the table was given to Wayne’s grandparents, who later passed them to his parents and then to Wayne and his wife Maria, where they plan to use it to display their family bible.

Before – Unfinished Antique Parlor Table

In addition to a heartfelt story, this antique table also comes with damage that I suppose you can expect with an old table.  The top was separating, one leg was broken and it was more wobbly than a newborn giraffe.

The antique table went immediately into repair mode.  The broken leg was glued and patched. Working slowly around the entire edge of the table, the table top was glued and clamped in sections.

Bricks were even used to weigh down areas where the glue was inserted underneath.

To get into the small areas I used a wood glue syringe, it allowed me to get enough glue inside the layers without making a mess.  The syringes can be found online here – glue syringe and are so easy to use.

I also used the syringe to add wood glue to all the joints under the table where the legs came together with the top to address the wobbliness.  This was done a little at a time to build up and strengthen the base. 

Wood Grain

The top of the parlor table was also sanded down to reveal gorgeous wood grain and then not so gorgeous grain. Womp womp. After zooming on the original photos I was able to see that these imperfections were hiding under the previous dark stain all along. You can only imagine the pure joy I felt when I started to see the beautiful grain followed by some choice bad words when the center was revealed. But we can work with this!

After some discussion, we decided that the best thing to do would be to preserve the outer sides and cover the center ugliness. This was achieved with a two-tone stain.  The entire top of the antique wood table was covered in a chocolate cherry stain and then taped off to address the center area. The center was then given a custom mixed extra dark chocolate cherry stain to cover the uneven and discolored grain. 
The rest of the parlor table was prepped and hand painted in a custom-mixed light cocoa. The color is sort of like hot chocolate once the marshmallows are melted.  The base and legs were then distressed to bring out the details and capture the history of the wood before being sealed for protection. You can find great paint options online HERE

The Result – Hand Painted Antique Parlor Table

From covered wagon to two tone stain. This parlor table will serve to hold the family bible for years to come.

If you like painted parlor tables make sure to check out this other beauty – Eggplant Parlor Table Makeover

Antique Parlor Table – an Eggplant Makeover

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